Compared to a global death toll spiralling beyond 300,000, Dave Kearney could hardly be considered a victim of the pandemic other than in a strictly insignificant sense. The significance of that will not be lost on Europe’s only unbeaten team.
Before Covid-19 stopped the hitherto unstoppable, Leinster’s record for the season could have come straight out of Joe Calzaghe’s world-beating playbook: Played 19, Won 19, the majority a long way inside the distance. No individual profited more than Rob Kearney’s relatively unsung younger brother on the wing.
By way of overdue compensation for bouts of long-term injury, Kearney junior had scored 12 tries in 11 starts for his native province and one more in one start for his country. When the season went into lockdown, only Teddy Thomas had matched him try for try, from 14 starts which puts the 30-year-old Irishman top of the heap by a fraction on strikes-per-game ratio.
Esta historia es de la edición May 17, 2020 de The Rugby Paper.
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